Captive
by craftyjhawk
Summary: Angela has been kidnapped. The team must make some hard choices in order to get her back. Takes place in mid-season 3.
1. Chapter 1

Jack Hodgins was running a variety of tests on a soil sample collected at a crime scene when he heard the tone that indicated he had received a text message. Picking up his phone, he read the message. His gut clenched as he opened the picture attachment.

* * *

Seeley Booth was talking to his son, Parker, making plans for the coming weekend when he heard the text message notification. He finished up his call and then checked his text message, expecting to see a text from his partner. What he saw instead, turned his stomach and made him feel lightheaded.

* * *

Temperance Brennan was examining the remains of a World War I soldier when her assistant, Zack Addy, brought her cell phone to her on the forensics platform. Removing her gloves, she took the phone as Zack told her that she had received a text message. Temperance Brennan considered the idea that a person could or would faint when being confronted with something traumatic ridiculous. When she read the text message, her heart started racing. When she opened the attached picture and saw her best friend, bound, gagged, she gave a small, choked scream and collapsed in a heap on the platform floor.

* * *

By the time Brennan regained consciousness, Hodgins and Cam had joined them on the platform. Hodgins face showed the terror that she felt. Brennan frantically grabbed her phone to compare the text message to the one that Hodgins had received.

_If you want to see Miss Montenegro again, do as I say. In one hour, you will receive instructions. Deviate from them in any way and you will never find her body._

Brennan handed her phone to Cam, as Zack and Hodgins helped her get up off of the floor. Cam read the text and gasped when she saw the photo of Angela, her face dirty and bloody, a gag in her mouth and tearstained cheeks. Knowing they needed help to find Angela, she grabbed her phone and dialed Booth's number. Just as she heard ringing on the other end of the line, the platform alarm sounded. Booth had charged on to the platform without swiping his card, waving his phone in his hand.

"Please tell me Angela is here. Tell me this text is a fake." He stopped and looked at each of their faces. What he saw on their faces confirmed his worst fear – Angela Montenegro had been kidnapped.

* * *

They had moved to Brennan's office, where they could have some privacy and not worry about being overheard. Three cell phones – Booth's, Brennan's and Hodgins's – were lined up on the coffee table. The five team members – Booth, Brennan, Hodgins, Cam and Zack – sat on the couch and chairs that surrounded the table and stared at the phones, waiting for one or all of them to ring, buzz, anything.

Booth, fighting every instinct he had, agreed to wait until they heard from the kidnapper again before notifying authorities. He didn't want to jeopardize Angela's safety by involving agencies that the kidnapper would want them to stay away from. The group of five had acknowledged that they might be on their own in this. They would do what it takes to get Angela back, even if it meant going outside of the system.

Twenty minutes until they were supposed to hear from the kidnapper and it felt like it would be twenty years. Hodgins started pacing, unable to sit still for another second. Booth was flicking his lighter open and closed. Brennan, Cam and Zack continued to stare at the phones. Each of them was lost in his own thoughts as time slowly slipped by, none of them noticing that the appointed time was approaching.

Suddenly, as if a single unit, the three phones buzzed. The five people in the room all jumped, as if a single unit. The owners of the phones each lunged, grabbing the respective phones and reading the newly received text messages. This time however, the messages were not identical. Each of them received a personalized message from the kidnapper with specific demands for getting Angela back.

Hodgins read his text and immediately began mentally running through what he needed to do to make it happen.

_I want 5 million dollars in cash, new identities for me and a friend and a private jet and pilot at my disposal. You have 48 hours. I will be in contact._

Booth groaned as he read his text message. The kidnapper's task would not be an easy one to accomplish.

_Release Miranda McIntire from prison. Do whatever is necessary to make it happen. You have 48 hours. I will contact you then with further details._

Brennan's eyes were huge as she read the text message from the kidnapper. She would do anything for her friend, but she wasn't sure she could do this. It went against almost everything that she believed in.

_Destroy all evidence associated with the Miranda McIntire case. You have 48 hours. I will know if you fail to do this. _

They all sat in shocked silence as the demands sank in. Booth, Hodgins and Brennan were all being asked to do something that went against their beliefs to free their friend. While they each struggled with what was being asked of them, the phones were passed around so that the whole team would know what was happening. No one broke the silence for several minutes, until the phones all buzzed again.

_In case you have forgotten your motivation for complying with my demands, perhaps this photo will remind you._

Attached was another photo of Angela. This time it wasn't a close up of her face. It showed her lying on a bare mattress with her wrists and ankles shackled to the wall. Her expression was what really caught their attention. Instead looking afraid, Angela looked determined.

"Atta girl, Angie. Don't make it easy for him." Hodgins whispered.

No one spoke again until Cam asked the first question on her mind. "Who is Miranda McIntire?" Cam looked from face to face, waiting for an answer.

It was Booth who was finally able to find his voice and answer her. "Miranda McIntire is a serial killer, a black widow, who we caught two years ago. She married and killed six wealthy men in ten years." He rubbed his hands over his face before continuing. "She used different aliases with each man. They were each killed in a different state, by a different method. That's why it took so long to catch her. No one put the pieces together until the case came to us."

"So, the kidnapper is someone connected to her, a family member, maybe." Cam knew she was stating the obvious, but she needed to do something to jump start the process of getting Angela. She knew these people. They were her coworkers, her friends. They were being told to compromise themselves in order to save Angela. The only way around that was to find Angela before their time was up.

"She has a brother, but I doubt he is capable of doing this. He seemed very submissive when we interviewed him during our investigation." Brennan had pulled herself together and tried put her worry about Angela in its place – behind the walls she had erected so that she could focus rationally on the matter at hand. "I don't remember there being any other family members or friends."

Booth stood, apparently over the shock and ready to move forward. "We are going to get Angela back. I'll go to the Hoover and pull all of our files on McIntire. You do the same here. We'll meet back here and start going through the files." He strode deliberately out of Brennan's office and toward the lab exit.

Brennan paused for only a moment before chasing after him. "Booth!" He stopped and waited for her to catch up to him. "I-I don't think I can do what he wants me to do, not even for Angela." She wasn't completely successful in compartmentalizing her emotions. She cared too much for Angela for this to just be another case to her.

"I know, Bones. I don't think I can either. Miranda McIntire will kill again, if given the chance. I can't give her that chance." He put his hands on her shoulders, so that she was facing him. "We will get her back. I promise."

Brennan didn't speak. Instead, she looked down at the floor, with her hair forming a curtain around her face, as tears silently slid down her cheeks. She leaned into the "guy hug" that he gave her, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and burying her face in the crook of his neck. They stayed entwined until her tears stopped. He gently pulled away, wiped her tears with his thumbs and gave her a small smile.

"We will get her back." With those final words, he walked through the sliding glass doors with a sense of determination in his step.

* * *

_A/N - This story has been haunting me for a month, refusing to take a back seat to other things that I'm working on. I will update as often as possible, but make no promises, as I already have another multi-chap story, The Results in the Change, in progress. All reviews are appreciated. ~ craftyjhawk_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N - I hope I haven't left you hanging too long for this chapter. Little Miss Muse got a little distracted and put me to work on a different story. If you are also reading "The Results of the Change," I should be updating it in the next few days. _

_Thanks to dgschneider to the beta. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited. It's so very much appreciated!_

_Disclaimer: As sad as it may be, HH&Co owns Bones and its characters and I do not. I just borrow them once in a while._

* * *

She lay on the dirty mattress, surrounded by nothing but darkness and silence. He had been careful to hide his face from her, but hadn't bothered disguising his voice. She thought it sounded slightly familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. She tensed as she heard his footsteps enter the room. She was blinded when he turned on the spotlight that was pointed toward her face.

"Are you ready to play nice, _Sweetie_? I've brought you food, but if you fight me, I'll just take it and leave now." He walked a little closer and stopped directly behind the spotlight so that she had no chance to see his face. "I'll release your hands long enough for you to eat, if you'll behave. Can you be good?"

Angela was hungry, but she wasn't hungry enough to cooperate with her psycho kidnapper. She knew her friends would be looking for her and would find her soon, but that didn't mean she was going to sit back and let him do whatever he wanted. She was way too pissed to be compliant, so when the kidnapper approached her to remove her wrist shackles, she kicked out at him, hoping to connect where it would hurt the most. And connect she did. He dropped to the floor and grabbed his crotch, moaning and writhing in pain. She was still too blinded by the spotlight to see his face, but the satisfied smirk on her face only enraged him more. As soon as he was able to breathe normally, he rose to his feet, grabbed the tray of food he had brought and stormed out of the room.

* * *

Seeley Booth drove toward the Hoover building as if his life depended on it. He only wished it _was_ his life that depended on it and not Angela's. He wanted to get back to the Jeffersonian as quickly as possible with the FBI's files on Miranda McIntire.

Wanting to use his time as efficiently as possible, he called Deputy Director Cullen's secretary, Hazel, and asked if Cullen would available as soon as he got to the Hoover. The text had said he could do anything necessary to free McIntire. He took that to mean that he could keep the Bureau in the loop. After making sure that he was on Cullen's schedule, his next call was to Charlie Burns. He asked the agent to pull every file that was even remotely connected to Miranda McIntire. They needed to get a handle on who Angela's kidnapper could be. When he was done speaking with Charlie, he made a call to the tech guys at the Hoover. Without Angela at work on the Angelatron, the squints were going to need some help with the technical aspects of the case.

When Booth arrived at the Hoover, he bypassed his office and made a beeline for Cullen's. He hadn't yet made it to Hazel's desk when she waved him into Cullen's office.

"Sir, there is a situation at the Jeffersonian that you need to be made aware of." He went on to explain that Angela had been kidnapped and showed Cullen the two texts that he had received from the kidnapper. "Sir, I would do almost anything to get Angela freed, but we can't allow Miranda McIntire back on the streets. We have to find Angela before we run out of time."

Cullen had listened intently to Booth's explanation. Angela held a soft spot in his heart for the way she had helped his daughter, Amy, in the last months of her life. "I agree. No matter how we feel about Miss Montenegro, we can't free a serial killer to obtain her release." He leaned back in his chair as he considered their options. "You're going to have to play along with his little game, at least for now. I'll put the resources of the FBI at your disposal. With any luck, your squints or our tech guys will get a lead soon and we can capture this guy."

"I agree, sir. That's why I wanted you in the loop. As you read in the second text, he told me to use any means necessary to secure McIntire's release. He didn't forbid FBI contact. He just doesn't need to know what we are using the Bureau for." Booth was pacing Cullen's office as he thought, only pausing to speak. "I'll give my phone to the tech guys when I'm done here. Maybe they can do something with the texts or the picture attachments.

"I'll have another one issued to you. The tech guys can forward calls from your phone to the new one. We don't want to miss a chance at contact." Cullen stood and walked Booth to his office door. "Make sure you keep me in the loop on this. Call me directly with any developments. If this starts to go sideways, I don't want to find out from the Director, or worse, the media."

"Yes, sir. I will keep you informed." Booth started to leave, but turned back. "Thank you, sir. I know Angela isn't an employee of the FBI, but she's family to me. The squints and I appreciate your help." With that, he turn and left. He was a man on a mission and this was a mission that couldn't fail.

* * *

As soon as Booth had left the Jeffersonian, Jack Hodgins started making phone calls. He had decided to proceed as if they would be meeting all of the kidnapper's demands. He was still struggling with the decision. Personally, he would pay any amount to secure Angela's safety. Professionally and ethically, it just wasn't that easy. He had publicly stated many times that the Cantilever group did not negotiate with kidnappers and terrorists. He couldn't make those bold statements on a professional level and then completely turn against them on a personal level when they were no longer convenient.

He wished that he were able to pay the ransom on his own, without involving the Cantilever group. However, his assets just weren't "liquid" enough for him to be able to do that. That meant trying to convince the board to help pay the five million dollar ransom as well as provide the private jet, and they were likely to balk at both requests. Angela had no legal connection to the group. If they were already married, they would agree without question, provided that they received proof of life. A cell phone picture wasn't likely to satisfy the board. He would have to convince the kidnapper to let him speak to Angela. He didn't see that as a likely possibility.

So, he was doing what he could for the moment. He was calling each board member to gauge their position on the matter. He was calling some of his less than upstanding contacts in an effort to find someone who could provide new identities for Miranda McIntire and Angela's kidnapper.

In the half hour that had elapsed since receiving the kidnapper's demand, Hodgins had changed his mind about paying the ransom more times than he could count. He knew that when it came down to it, he would probably pay it, ethics be damned. This was the woman he loved and he had to do whatever possible to save her. So, he ignored the nagging voice in his head that said this went against some of his strongest beliefs. He had to save Angie.

* * *

Temperance Brennan didn't like feeling conflicted. She also didn't like feeling helpless. And, in this situation, she felt both. Angela was her best friend. She had to do something to save her, but the kidnapper had demanded the one thing she couldn't give. She would gladly help Hodgins pay the five million dollars. That posed no dilemma for her. However, destroying evidence was something she could not do, under any circumstances. It went against her commitment to science and the truth.

There had to be another way to get Angela back. She just needed to find it.

Realizing that her internal debate was getting her nowhere, she began the task of gathering all files related to Miranda McIntire. She deposited the files on the conference table in her office. She called in an order to their favorite Thai place to have dinner delivered so that they could continue to work while they ate. She hoped that Booth would return soon so that they could get to work finding Angela.

* * *

Booth returned to the Jeffersonian within an hour of his departure. Charlie had done as he instructed and pulled all files relating to Miranda McIntire. Now it was time to examine each file, each piece of evidence, in the hopes of finding a clue to the identity of Angela's kidnapper. The connection had to be there. They just needed to find it.

Booth carried the boxes of files to Brennan's office where she waited with the Jeffersonian's files on McIntire. Upon seeing his return, Cam, Hodgins and Zack joined Brennan and Booth in her office. Each of them grabbed a file and a seat and began the tedious task of reviewing each file knowing the clues to helping Angela were just waiting to be found.

* * *

_A/N2 - I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you would like to read more sooner rather than later, please feed Little Miss Muse (LMM) with a review in the box below. Thanks! ~ craftyjhawk_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N - Did you think I forgot about this one? That would never happen, but the updates might be a slower than I would like._

_Disclaimer - Nope, Bones still isn't mine. I just borrow its characters on a fairly regular basis._

* * *

After two hours of examining files related to the Miranda McIntire case, progress could only be measured by the number of empty takeout containers that littered Brennan's office. With each file that was placed in the 'done' stack, the frustration of the team grew. No clues had jumped off the pages, screaming for attention. Every file seemed to be a dead end.

Booth stood, stretched and tossed a file onto the growing stack all in one fluid movement. He had been struggling with a decision over the last hour or so, once it became obvious that they weren't making any progress toward finding Angela. He had hesitated to mention his idea, but now felt that he had no choice. He walked over to where Brennan sat behind her desk. He pulled her chair out, pulled her out of it and out of her office as she tried to swat his hand away.

"Stop it, Booth! What are you doing?"

"Uh, Bones, I have a suggestion that you aren't going to like. I think we need to bring Sweets in on this." He wanted to duck and cover while he waited for the fireworks to begin. He held up his hand to stop her protest. "Look, I know how you feel about psychology and about Sweets. But, we need help. The kid's a good profiler. Even you were impressed with his credentials. I think we need to see what he comes up with."

Brennan stood with her arms crossed while she considered Booth's suggestion. She placed no stock in Sweets's psychological insights, but Angela's life was hanging in the balance. If she was willing to do almost anything to bring Angela back, then she needed to be willing to bring Sweets in, even if it turned out to be a waste of time.

"Alright, Booth, I will defer to your judgment. Call Sweets." She sounded as dejected as she felt. She was worried about Angela. She was frustrated with the lack of progress they had made. She was angry with the kidnapper for endangering Angela and putting them in the middle of this ethical dilemma. She was just tired of all of it. If she were five years old, she would probably be stomping her foot and well on her way to a tantrum. Instead, she made her emotional walls a little higher and a little thicker and maintained her appearance of control.

Brennan had barely gotten the words "call Sweets" out of her mouth when Booth thumbed his phone open and called the boy wonder. "Sweets, you need to get to the Jeffersonian… I'll tell you when you get here… No, it can't wait… Listen, just get over here… See you in fifteen." He closed his phone and turned to Brennan, "He'll be here soon. Thanks, Bones. I know you're doing this for me."

"No, Booth, I'm doing this for Angela. If he can help get her back, then it would be foolish to refuse his help. He will help, won't he?"

That question in **that** tone was all Booth needed to know how worried Brennan was about Angela. He knew that she was trying to compartmentalize, but because it was her best friend in danger, she was finding it difficult. He wanted nothing more at the moment to wrap her in his arms and hold her until she released the tears he knew she was holding back. One look, however, told him that would be a mistake. She needed to feel in control as much as possible and an emotional breakdown wouldn't help with that.

"I'm sure he'll want to help. We just need to give him a chance to look at the texts and McIntire files when he gets here. In the meantime, let's get back to the never-ending stack of files."

She gave him a small smile, a thank you for not acknowledging her moment of weakness. Without another word, she returned to her office and began looking through the next file in her stack.

* * *

Angela felt like she had been held captive for days rather than hours. She knew her kidnapper had taken her several hours before he had contacted her friends. If she were to guess, she would say that he'd taken her eight to ten hours earlier. She did know exactly how long her friends had to find her. He had "kindly" provided a digital timer that was counting down from forty-eight hours. Time remaining on the timer was forty-four hours, thirty-eight minutes and twenty-two seconds. She wasn't sure whether it was better to know or to be left wondering. She did know that she needed to focus on something other than that damn timer. Maybe she could start naming all of her favorite paintings in alphabetical order by artist. That should distract her for a while.

She had just started making her list, Aivazovsky's A Strong Wind, when **he** came in. She went on instant alert. It was the first time he had been in since she kicked him and she was afraid he might retaliate in some way. She huddled against the wall, making herself as small as possible.

"Oh, get over yourself! I'm not here to hurt you. I just need to send your friends a reminder." He picked up the timer and walked it over to Angela, dragging the long extension cord it was plugged into behind him. "Here, hold this." He was close enough when he thrust it at her that she was able to see he had covered his face with a ski mask.

Just as Angela grabbed the timer out of reflex, he snapped a picture with his cell phone, her face and the timer clearly visible. He took the timer from her and returned it to the shelf across the room.

"Maybe that will light a fire under them, because, right now, it seems like they are just sitting around and talking. I'm not sure that they are in a hurry to get you back." He chuckled to himself. "I took you because I thought you were the "heart of the team." Maybe I should have chosen someone else." As soon as he had planted his seeds of doubt in the artists mind, he turn and walked out of the room, laughing as he went.

* * *

"Agent Booth! I'm here what did you want to see me abo-" Sweets became silent as he walked through Brennan's office door. He had never seen the anthropologist's office in such disarray. Nor had he ever seen all of the squints review files. "Um, Agent Booth? What's going on here?"

"We, uh, need your help profiling a suspect." Booth paused and looked at the rest of the team, asking permission to reveal the reason for their group study session. He continued after receiving nods from the others. "Angela has been kidnapped and we need your help finding who has her." Booth cringed inwardly at admitting they needed the kid's help. Brennan cringed outwardly. At least, she didn't have to say the words.

"Of course! If you can bring me up to speed, I'll get started."

Sweets pulled up a chair as Booth began to tell him about the texts. Brennan had a printout of the content of the texts, which she handed to Sweets. His eyes grew huge when he saw Miranda McIntire's name.

"What is it, Sweets? You saw something in those texts. I saw your reaction." Booth was barely able to remain seated when he really just wanted to grab Sweets by the shoulders and shake the answer from him.

"It's just this name – Miranda McIntire. Deputy Director Cullen provided me with copies of her case files and asked me to become familiar with them. He didn't tell me why." Sweets saw Booth's expression change from impatience to fury and he wasn't sure why.

"He what! He should have checked with me before he did that." Booth already had his phone in his hand, scrolling through is contact list for Cullen's number. Before he could push the 'send' button, Brennan walked had walked to him and laid a hand on his arm. That one act did more to calm him that anything else could.

"Booth, Cullen might have done us a favor. If Sweets is already familiar with the files, then that saves time, right? He can begin working on the profile, maybe even give us a suspect."

Everyone in the room was looking at Brennan like she had grown another head. Had she really just defended Cullen and Sweets? It was hard to believe, but true.

"Sorry, Sweets, I shouldn't have jumped on you like that. You were just following orders." Booth rubbed the back of his neck, trying to calm down and get back to finding Angela. "Why don't you start working on that profile?"

"I need to look at the visitor's log from the prison, but I think I have a suspect for you." Sweets tried not to look smug, but sometimes he just couldn't help it. He was very good at his job and he knew it. He was just waiting for the day that Booth would admit it.

"Are you going to keep us in suspense? Who do you think it is?" Booth had swung back to impatience with the psychologist.

"I'll bet when you get the visitor's logs you'll find that the only person who has visited McIntire is her brother Luke. She has no other close connections. None. There is no one in her life who she could convince or who would volunteer to do this. It has to be her brother." Sweets sat back in his chair, crossed his arm and didn't bother to hide the smug look this time. He almost felt as if he had bested Booth, something that he never thought he was possible.

That feeling only last a moment.

Brennan jumped to her feet and looked at Sweets. "No, you're wrong about that. Booth and I interviewed him several times while we were investigating her. There is no way he is capable of this." She looked at Booth, wanting him to back her up, but he remained silent. She continued, "He is not intelligent enough to plan this. He seemed very weak, subservient even. Booth, don't you agree?"

"Look, Bones, I agree, I didn't think much of the guy either. But, you're not the best at reading people and we did ask Sweets to help." He could see her closing up, feeling that he had chosen Sweets over her. "Bones, we don't have any other leads. What's it gonna hurt to bring him in? Nothing, right? And, if it helps us find Angela, then it's worth it."

"I see your point, but I have difficulty believing that he is the kidnapper." Brennan grudgingly conceded. "Why don't you take Sweets with you to interview him? I'll start looking at the evidence from McIntire's cases. Maybe I can find something helpful there. I've also decided it might be necessary for me to find a way to fake destroying the evidence. I'll work on that as well." She turned and exited her office, leaving everyone else staring in her wake.

"Cam, can you text me Luke McIntire's address? We're gonna go have a chat with him. Maybe you guys can help Bones?"

Booth left the office in a jog, heading for the parking structure, leaving Sweets to catch up with him. Booth was throwing the SUV into gear as Sweets hopped into the passenger seat. Just as they exited the structure, Booth's phone buzzed. Assuming it was the text from Cam with the brother's address, Booth tossed his phone to Sweets.

"Open that message and read the address to me." Booth said.

"Booth, it's not from Cam. It's from the kidnapper."

Booth pulled over to the side of the road and yanked the phone from Sweets's hand.

_Are you doing everything you can to save your friend?_

Attached was a picture of a stunned looking Angela holding what looked like a clock. Upon further inspection, Booth realized it was some kind of timer indicating they had a little over forty-four hours to find Angela. With a renewed sense of urgency, Booth turned on his lights and siren and pulled into traffic.

* * *

_A/N - Did you like it? I'd love to know what you thought. Leave a review and you'll make my day and LMM's too! Thanks for all of the follows, favorites and reviews. I appreciate each and everyone. If you haven't already checked them out, I have two other stories in progress - The Results in the Change and Evidence._

_Thanks to my wonderful beta, dgschneider, who holds my hand, keeps me sane and gives everything a once over before I post. You should read her stories Need and Seven Days: An Experiment in Making Love, if you aren't already. Another story for you to check out is The Mixed Tape by casketformytears, especially if you're a music lover._

_Thanks again! ~ craftyjhawk_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N - I apologize for the delay in updating this story. Other stories, 'Evidence' and "To Step Across the Line', have been keeping LMM very busy. On top of that, I'm taking a class this summer and it's a time hog. Hopefully, I can get this back on a more regular, if slow, update schedule._

* * *

"Charlie, pull everything we have on Luke McIntire. If we don't already have it, do a background check, as well as any priors. I want former addresses, employers, the works. Sweets and I going to talk to him now. I want all of that on my desk when I get back."

Booth flipped his phone closed and tossed it in the console of his SUV. He and Sweets were headed to Luke McIntire's last known address in Annandale, Virginia. He hoped that the psychologist's profile was right. If it wasn't, then they were wasting time that they didn't have.

Sweets wisely chose to remain silent for the short drive. Booth was in no mood to listen to the kid babble. He was mentally reviewing everything they knew about Angela's kidnapping. Unfortunately, there wasn't much and it didn't take long to go over it.

Pulling into the driveway of McIntire's duplex, Booth threw the truck into park and jumped out, leaving it running. Sweets turned off the truck before joining Booth at the front door.

"Agent Booth, try to remember that we want him to cooperate. Try not to treat him as a suspect right off the bat. Remember, we're just here to interview him."

Booth glared at Sweets for trying to tell him how to do his job. He rang the bell and impatiently waited for someone to answer. After a minute, he rang it again, twice. Still there was no answer. Giving McIntire one more chance to answer, Booth rang the bell again. Before twenty seconds had elapsed, Booth had stepped off of the porch and started looking in the windows.

"Damn! He's not here!" Booth slapped the side of the house in frustration.

"How do you know that?"

"Look in the window. No furniture. The place is completely empty." Booth growled at Sweets. Their only lead had just slipped through their fingers while Angela's time was slipping away. He wanted to bring a tech team out to search the place, but he knew they didn't have enough for a warrant yet. And now, he had to go back to the Jeffersonian and tell the squints that they were back at square one.

As soon as Booth and Sweets left the Jeffersonian, Brennan and Cam relocated to Angela's office. Brennan wanted to give Cam a crash course on the Miranda McIntire case without disturbing the others while they continued their search. Using Angela's whiteboard, Brennan drew a chart to track McIntire's victims.

After handing Cam the first file, Brennan started to fill in the chart. "The first victim was Tucker Charles of Pleasanton, California. He had recently married Margaret Maguire. He lost control of his vehicle when the brakes failed. He was killed after his vehicle left the road and rolled several times. It was discovered that his brake line had been cut. Local police determined that his son-in-law was responsible. Charles had threatened to disinherit his daughter and son-in-law."

Cam finished looking through the file and handed it back to Brennan. "This seems to be a fairly straightforward case. I don't see the link to Miranda McIntire."

"Cam, please be patient. I'd like to lay out each case before explaining the connection." Brennan handed Cam the second file and returned to the white board. "The second victim was William Avery of San Antonio, Texas. He was married to Melinda McDonnell. He was killed in a hit and run accident while riding his bicycle. Neither the driver nor the car were located."

If Cam was confused regarding the first case, she was more so after the second one. She traded files with Brennan and waited for the anthropologist to continue.

"Victim number three was Kendall Payne of Leawood, Kansas, married to Melissa Mitchell. He died from an allergic reaction to a medication. The pharmacist was convicted of negligence when it was found that the medication that was dispensed was not the one prescribed."

"Dr. Brennan, none of these cases seem to be connected to McIntire. I don't understand." Cam was becoming more frustrated as Brennan described each case.

"Cam, patience, please. It will all come together." Brennan was on edge. She wanted to get through this quickly so that they could get back to searching for Angela. "Just let me get through the last three and I will explain the connection."

Cam remembered that Brennan had a reason for everything she did. She sat back and exercised the little patience that remained.

"Victim number four was Reed Duncan of Lake Forest, Illinois, married to Marilyn McLoughlin. Duncan died of an accidental heroin overdose. Victim number five was Jonathan Scott of Peachtree City, Georgia. He had recently married Maura Murphy. He died in a house fire. It was determined to be arson. Scott had embezzled money from his company. His business partner was convicted for the arson and Scott's death."

Brennan handed the Cam the last file. This is the point where things would start to make sense together.

"The last victim was Henry Sato of Fairfax, Virginia, married to Marianne Moran. He died of a gunshot wound. He was with his mistress at the time of his death and she was initially the prime suspect. However, she had been drugged and was unconscious when he was shot. All other evidence pointed toward the mistress. It became apparent that she had been framed. The local authorities requested the help of the FBI and the Jeffersonian because Mr. Sato was a U.S. congressman."

Brennan opened a seventh file and removed a stack of photographs. She handed the first one to Cam.

"That is a ring that Mr. Sato wore. Notice the Celtic knot design with the letter 'M' in the center. Booth felt that the 'M' stood for Sato's wife, Marianne."

Brennan handed Cam five more photos before she continued. "Angela scanned the design into the Angelator and performed a search to see if it had any meanings or had shown up in any other crimes. Those photos are from these five other cases. Two tattoos, two more rings and a pendant on a chain – each belonging to one of these five victims."

"Whoa. That's how you made the connection? A Celtic knot design?" Cam was dumbfounded. For six seemingly unrelated cases to have such a seemingly random connection couldn't be coincidence. "That's how you linked the cases. How did you link them to McIntire?"

Brennan smiled at the question. "Miranda McIntire was very confident that she would never be caught. She used the same initials with each alias. That wasn't the only thing she didn't change. Once we had all six files together, we had pictures of the six wives." Brennan handed Cam another stack of photos.

"Dr. Brennan, these are pictures of the same woman, just different hair color and styles."

"Exactly."

"Booth! What are you doing back so soon?" Brennan's voice was laced with dismay. "You should be talking to Luke McIntire right now."

Booth shook his head, avoiding her eyes. "He's cleared out. The place was completely empty. I'm sorry, Bones. I thought he would lead us to Angela."

The silence in Brennan's office was deafening after Booth's announcement. The team had hung their hopes on Booth's interview providing them with the information they needed to find Angela. They had forty-three hours in which to find Angela. They knew it could be done, but they needed a place to start.

"Look, Bones, I'm going back to my office. Charlie was supposed to pull everything her could get his hands on about Luke McIntire. Sweets and I are going to go look through that. Call me if you find anything here, okay?" Brennan nodded. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Charlie, did you get those files that I wanted." Booth and Sweets had just returned to the Hoover and were ready to dig into Luke McIntire's life.

"Yeah, boss, but you're not going to like it." Charlie ducked past Booth and moved to get as far away from him as possible.

Booth turned toward Charlie's retreating back. "What do you mean I'm not going to like it?" Booth barked at him.

"You'll see!" Charlie yelled over his shoulder as he disappeared into the stairwell and of the line of fire.

"C'mon, Sweets, let's go see what he is talking about." Booth pushed open his office door and stormed toward his desk. He grabbed a file folder as he walked around his desk and plopped in his chair. Pointing toward the stack, he indicated that Sweets should get started, too.

Booth had only read halfway down the first page when he stood up and slammed the file back onto his desk. "Damn! How did we not catch that before?"

Sweets looked up alarmed at the agent's reaction to McIntire's file. "What is it, Agent Booth? What did you miss before?"

Booth glared at Sweets for implying, however truthfully, that he had missed something before answering him. "According to this," he forcefully poked the file, "Luke McIntire didn't exist before 1992."

* * *

_A/N2 - I hope Brennan explained the connection between cases well enough. There is more to be known about those cases, but that is for future chapters. I think I will answer all of your questions as we progress. I do have an image for the Celtic knot design. If you follow me on Twitter and want to see it, just let me know. I'll be happy to post it. Thanks for your continued interest in this story. ~ craftyjhawk_


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